JOHN PAUL II WELCOMES ATHLETES AT START OF THEIR JUBILEE

VATICAN CITY, OCT 28, 2000 (VIS) - Pope John Paul this morning welcomed 9,000 participants in an international convention, taking place in the Vatican for the Jubilee of Athletes on the theme "In the Time of the Jubilee: The Face and the Soul of Sports."

Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Central Committee of the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 and Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, inaugurated the meeting and greeted those present before the Holy Father's arrival in the Paul VI Hall at 11 a.m. This afternoon the participants will make a pilgrimage to St. Peter's Basilica, where they will go through the Holy Door. A concluding meeting on the theme "Champions in Sports and in Life" will then be held in the Paul VI Hall.

"Sports," said the Pope in his address, "are surely one of the relevant phenomena that, with a language understood by everyone, can communicate very profound values. They can be a vehicle of high human and spiritual ideals when practiced in full respect for the rules; but they can also fall short of their authentic scope when space is made for other interests which ignore the centrality of the human person."

He continued: "Your theme speaks of the 'face' and the 'soul' of sports. Indeed sporting activity underlines, beyond the rich physical possibilities of man, also his intellectual and spiritual capabilities. He doesn't have just physical power and muscular efficiency, but also a soul and must show its integral face. This is why the true athlete must not allow himself to be overpowered by the obsession of physical perfection, nor to become dominated by the harsh laws of production and consumption or by purely utilitarian and hedonistic considerations."

In sports, observed John Paul II, "the sense of brotherhood, magnanimity, honesty and respect for the body - virtues which are undoubtedly indispensable for every good athlete - contribute to building a civil society where competition replaces antagonism, where agreement replaces conflict and loyal confrontation replaces rancorous opposition."

In closing remarks, the Pope reminded everyone that "sports ... must never distract those who practice and appreciate them from spiritual duties." He exhorted Christians never to forget their duty "to make holy the Sabbath."

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POPE RECEIVES 50,000 PILGRIMS FROM ITALIAN DIOCESES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 28, 2000 (VIS) - Today in St. Peter's Square, the Pope received 50,000 pilgrims from the Italian dioceses of Basilicata, Siena-Colle di Val d'Elsa-Montalcino, Fermo, Amalfi-Cava dei Tirreni, Rimini, Tivoli and Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno. Also present was a large group of students, parents and teachers from Catholic schools in Rome and the Lazio region.
The Holy Father told faithful from the archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d'Elsa-Montalcino that their jubilee pilgrimage was, "in a certain sense, guided by the figure and example of St. Catherine, co-patroness of Italy and of Europe, whose marble image will, from today, adorn the outside of the Vatican Basilica." He requested that her witness may "be a help to you in discovering ever more, day after day, your Christian vocation and in fulfilling it with generous commitment."

He encouraged faithful from the archdiocese of Fermo "to discover in prayer, and especially in the celebration of the Eucharist, the strength to participate actively in the lives of your Christian communities."

Going on to address participants in the traditional meeting of Catholic schools in Rome and the Lazio region, John Paul II said: "I hope that Catholic schools will see their due place in the civil and social life of the nation fully recognized, and I trust that you will continue to work in the field of education and formation with enduring faith, competence and renewed hope."

Following the audience, the Pope went to St. Martha's Square within the Vatican where he blessed the white marble statue of St. Catherine of Siena, which is 4.7 meters high and has been placed in a niche on the outside of the basilica. The statue, the work of the French sculptor Eric Aman, is a gift from the archdiocese of Siena.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 28, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Chulucanas, Peru, presented by Bishop John C. McNabb O.S.A. in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Daniel Thomas Turley Murphy O.S.A.

- Appointed Bishop Pietro Brollo of Belluno-Feltre, Italy, as archbishop of Udine (area 4,726, population 488,000, Catholics 478,500, priests 507, permanent deacons 14, religious 908), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in Tolmezzo, Italy, in 1933, ordained a priest in 1957 and consecrated a bishop in 1986. He succeeds Archbishop Alfredo Battisti, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

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ANGELUS: APPEAL FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

VATICAN CITY, OCT 29, 2000 (VIS) - In reflections preceding the angelus prayer today, Pope John Paul told the 70,000 gathered in Rome's Olympic stadium to celebrate the Jubilee of Athletes and of all those involved in sports that, "in this moment of joy, we cannot and must not forget that in several regions of the world people continue to suffer and, often, die. I am especially thinking of the Middle East region.

"Once again," he continued, "I wish to invite all the parties involved in the peace process to spare no efforts to reestablish the climate of dialogue which existed up to a few weeks ago. Mutual trust, repudiating arms and respect for international law are the only means for giving life again to the peace process. Therefore, let us pray that people return to the negotiating table and, through dialogue, reach the hoped-for outcome of a just and lasting peace, which guarantees everyone the inalienable right to freedom and security."

The Holy Father then referred to the just-concluded Mass for the Jubilee celebration of sports people, calling it "the heart of this Jubilee event" and adding: "We have just offered sports to God as an activity of man aiming at his full development and fraternal social relations. This altar, placed in the great Olympic stadium of Rome, reminds us that even sports are above all a gift of God.

He concluded with brief greetings to those present in French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Polish.

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SPORT MUST CREATE A FRATERNAL AND UNITED WORLD

VATICAN CITY, OCT 29, 2000 (VIS) - This morning, John Paul II celebrated Mass at Rome's Olympic Stadium for the occasion of the Jubilee of Athletes. After the ceremony he stayed to watch a soccer match between the Italian national side and a team of non-Italian footballers who play in Italy.

Prior to the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope drove around the stadium in an open car to the applause of the 70,000 people present.

In his homily, the Pope said that this Jubilee was the occasion "to give thanks to God for the gift of sport in which man exercises his body, intelligence and will." He went on to say that practicing sports can help young people to reaffirm "important values such as loyalty, perseverance, friendship, sharing and solidarity," and added that sports people are also called to "examine their consciences."

"Sport's educational and spiritual potential," he continued, "must unite believers and men and women of good will, and make them resolute in contrasting any aberrant practices that may arise, recognizing therein a phenomenon that goes against the full development of human beings and their joy in living. Every effort must be made to safeguard the human body from any attack on its integrity, and to protect it from exploitation or idolatry."

John Paul II highlighted the necessity of "being ready to ask pardon for everything that, in the world of sport, has been done or has been omitted in contrast to commitments made during the last Jubilee."

"May sport," he concluded, "respond without becoming debased to the requirements of our time: sport that protects the weak and excludes no one, that frees young people from the snares of apathy and indifference and gives them a healthy sense of competition; sport that becomes a factor in the emancipation of poorer countries and a help in eradicating intolerance and building a more fraternal and united world; sport that contributes to love of life and educates us for sacrifice, respect and responsibility, causing the full value of each human being to be recognized."

After Mass, and for the first time in his pontificate, the Pope attended a football match. Originally scheduled to attend only the first half of game, John Paul II on Saturday had expressed the wish to watch the entire hour-long match. Following this he greeted all the players and presented them with Jubilee medals.

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 30, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State.
- Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

On Saturday, October 28, he received in separate audiences:

- Cardinal Aloysius Matthew Ambrozic, archbishop of Toronto, Canada.
- Cardinal James Francis Stafford, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, accompanied by Bishop Stanislaw Rylko, secretary of the same council.
- Archbishop Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

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